Heartbeats
by Oliviet
Summary: AU. When a teenage girl is found orphaned after both of her parents are murdered, Beckett struggles to find the girl more family. When the DNA results return Beckett as a match, she quickly realizes the young girl is the baby she gave up for adoption. Set during season 6.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Altering the wedding planning timeline of season 6 a bit to fit with my plotline.

* * *

"No, no, no, we are _not _releasing doves," she tells him as she flips through a bridal magazine.

"Why not?"

She can hear the whine in his voice and her lips quirk into a smile. Of course he has the idea to make everything as extravagant as possible.

"Because they'll shit on everything," Kate explains as she eyes an atrocious gown on the page in front of her.

"You're so judgmental," he huffs, trying to hide his laughter and wandering into the kitchen to refill his drink.

"They're birds, Castle," she groans, shaking her head. "They'll get over it."

He returns to the living room, cup in hand, and sits next to her on the couch. He points at the wedding dress on the page she has open. "That model can't pull that off."

Kate looks over at him. "Could I?"

"Well you…I'm not answering that one."

She rolls her eyes, turning the page.

"Finding anything you like?" Castle asks instead, nudging her with his elbow as he takes a drink.

"Not really," she sighs, closing the magazine and laying her head on the back of the couch.

"Not finding the dress little Kate Beckett dreamed up when she was eight?"

Kate scrubs a hand through her hair and lets it cascade down the back of the couch. "I was thirteen actually. It was around Christmas and my mom took me to the Upper East Side to go window shopping. We were walking by the Vera Wang boutique and I just stopped walking. The dress in that window…" she trails off, smiling at the memory. "Anyway, my mom noticed how in awe of it I was and told me she'd make sure that I was wearing it on my wedding day. And now…"

Castle takes her hand closest to him and squeezes. "Hey, she'll be there in spirit. And we could find that dress –"

"Castle, do you realize how long ago that was? They probably don't even make it any more. Not to mention that it's probably not in style anymore either."

"We could always try –" he starts, but is cut off by her ringing cell phone.

"Beckett."

She listens as Gates informs her about the double homicide on 27th. She tells her she's on her way and hangs up.

"We've got a body," Kate says, moving back into the bedroom to find her boots. "Well actually, two bodies. Double homicide."

"Ooo do you think it was a murder, suicide?" Castle asks, following her to find shoes of his own.

"It would certainly make my job easier if it was, but Gates said Lanie already ruled that out."

"But still, a married couple murdered for knowing too much. A cheating husband and his lover killed by the angry wife. Oh the stories practically write themselves with this one."

Kate rolls her eyes as she zips up her boots. "Come on, let's go get the real story."

* * *

When they arrive at the scene, the first thing she notices is a young girl sitting on the floor outside of the apartment with a uniformed officer. Her heart breaks as she realizes the poor girl is probably an orphan now if the double homicide is what she thinks it is. It was hard enough losing her mother, she can't even begin to imagine having lost her father as well.

"What have we got?" Kate asks, as she and Castle enter into the living room.

"Dave and Allison Holdredge," Ryan tells her, reading his notes. "It's a real mess in there, blood everywhere in the bedroom."

The names sound familiar, but she can't place them. "Is that their daughter?" she asks, nodding to the girl outside.

Ryan sighs. "Yeah. Said she came home from school and found them like this. She called it in. Poor thing has to be traumatized. I couldn't even stomach being in there and I've seen plenty of dead bodies."

"How old is she?"

"14. She's in 8th grade. Says her name is Addison."

Kate looks over at the young girl. Her curly brunette hair falls over her face as her gaze is focused on the ground. She sees herself in the girl and assumes it's because she knows what it's like to lose a parent. She sighs and heads towards the bedroom. Ryan wasn't kidding, the blood splatter is all over the room.

"Uh Lanie?"

Lanie looks up from the deceased.

"Did the guy have a chainsaw or something?" Castle asks, coming up behind her.

"Not a chainsaw," Lanie corrects. "An axe." She nods to the corner of the room by a mirror. "He even left it here."

"Do you think he left any prints on it?" Kate asks.

"He might have, but since he left it behind, I doubt it."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and the guy was an idiot, leaving his prints all over it," Castle suggests.

"Or maybe he got spooked when he heard the daughter get home and left in a hurry," Kate says moving over to the window in the bedroom. She opens it easily and takes note of the fire escape. "Have CSU dust the windowsill for prints."

Castle winces as he looks down at the bodies. "Yeah I think I'm going to be sick."

He leaves Kate, Lanie, and two CSU techs taking photographs in the bedroom.

"The only reason I'm mostly unphased by this is because I cut up bodies every day," Lanie starts. "What's your excuse?"

Kate shrugs, taking another look at the bodies. "I don't know."

Esposito pops his head into the room. "Yo Beckett, want to come talk to the daughter? She might respond better to someone who umm…"

"Lost a parent to murder?" Kate asks with sad smile.

He nods and backs out of the room.

"Let me know when you know more, Lanie," she tells her as she moves back into the living room to find the daughter.

The girl is sitting on the couch now, the same blank expression she had on her face in the hallway. Kate takes a deep breath and walks over to her.

"Hi, Addison, is it?"

She nods in response but doesn't say anything. Kate sits down on the loveseat across from her.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett."

Still nothing.

"Look, I know how hard this is for you," she starts.

"How would you know?" Addison spits, finally looking up to glare at her.

Her blue eyes are piercing and Kate swears she's seen them on someone before.

"Because my mother was murdered when I was 19."

She softens at that, her anger dissipating. "I – I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I can't imagine losing both of them at once or being the one to find her body."

"How do you get over something like this?" Addison asks, her eyes locking onto Kate's.

She shakes her head. "You don't. But one day you'll wake up and realize that it's become a part of who you are and that's okay. That it's a burden you don't necessarily mind taking around with you."

"I don't feel like that's ever going to be possible."

"I didn't either at first. I didn't want to go to her funeral because I thought going would make her death real. And then I spent a year feeling sorry for myself and completely wasting my life until I got a wakeup call. Everyone is going to be telling you that it gets easier and you're going to want to laugh in their face or maybe even punch them in the face. But it does get easier. It takes a while, and it hurts like hell, and there are days that are worse than others, but I promise you it does get better."

She nods, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek. "Thanks."

"Do you have any other family that you can stay with?"

"No," she sniffs. "Both of my parents were only children and my grandparents are all dead. Do you think you could like run my DNA through the system and see if I have any long lost relatives or something? I really don't want to go into the foster system."

"I umm, I'll see what I can do. Hang on."

Kate moves over to where Ryan and Esposito are huddled together by the front door.

"You get anything from her?" Esposito asks as she approaches.

"I think she watches too many crime shows. She wants us to run her DNA to see if she has any living relatives."

"Can we even do that?" Ryan asks.

Kate shrugs. "It's not like CODIS has the entire population in it. Just open cases, criminals, and federal employees. Our chances of us finding a hit for her are slim."

"But let me guess," Esposito starts. "You still want to give it a shot."

"Maybe we'll luck out and she'll have like a second cousin or something who works for the government."

"Yeah or maybe a convicted rapist," Ryan mumbles.

"Just have someone take a cheek swab, will you? She could really use some family right now, even if it's family she didn't know existed."

"Beckett –" Ryan starts.

"This isn't about me, okay? I'm fine. Now where did Castle go?"

They both point to the front door and she sighs and heads after him. She finds him sitting in the hallway where Addison had been earlier. She slides down the wall next to him, waiting for him to speak first.

"I couldn't do it, Kate," he says softly. "I've never seen a murder so gruesome, so vicious, before. At least not outside of movies."

She takes his hand, slipping her fingers in between his and squeezes.

"And that poor girl," he whispers.

"Why don't you go home?" Kate suggests, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand. "I'll meet up with you later. We can have a late dinner."

"No," he says forcefully, shaking his head. "I'm your partner. I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

She gives him a soft smile. "I'm not alone, babe. And I'm fine, I can handle it."

He raises his eyebrows at her. "Teenage girl with murdered parents?"

"As I just finished telling Ryan and Esposito, this isn't about me. Really, I'm fine. Now go home and finish finalizing the guest list."

She places a kiss to his temple before she stands up and offers him her hands. He takes them and pulls himself off the floor.

"You don't always have to be the brave the one, you know," Castle tells her.

She nods. "I know."

He sighs, rubbing at her upper back. "Call me if you're going to be late."

She nods again. "I will."

Kate watches him leave before she turns around and heads back into the apartment. She really needs to solve this case.

* * *

She stares intently at her murder board, a jumbled mess of arrows and pictures. They've chased down lead after lead and have gotten nowhere. The phrase "random targets" sticks in her head. How many times has she been told that her mother was just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Hasn't she proved by now that wasn't the case? Kate shakes her head, reminding herself this isn't about her. She's said it to the boys so much by now, she thought she'd start to believe it herself. She still doesn't.

What she needs is this bastard to strike again. She would never wish that type of murder on anyone else, but he's got the M.O. of a serial killer. He's meticulous, careful, leaving practically no evidence behind. They have nothing to go off of. She needs him to strike again, to screw up.

"Hey, Kate, can I talk to you for a second?"

She spins around, finds Lanie standing in the bullpen.

"Sure," Kate says, trying to shake the fog out of her head. "Did you find something we can use? You could have just called, you know."

"I thought it would be better if I told you this in person." She wrings her hands nervously, never exactly making eye contact with her.

Kate feels her heartbeat speed up. "That bad, huh?"

Lanie leads her into the break room. "It's about that DNA you had me run, from the daughter."

"Did you find a match?"

She feels like she knows the answer before Lanie even tells her. Of course she didn't find a match. The CODIS database isn't all inclusive. But the way she's acting so nervous about it, maybe she did find a match. Maybe Ryan was right and the guy is a convicted rapist.

Lanie nods, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "Yeah, I did."

She pauses looking Kate directly in the eyes for the first time since she got here.

"And?" Kate presses.

"You," Lanie says softly. "The profile was a match to you."

Kate scrunches her eyebrows together in confusion. "Me?"

How is that possible? Who could that girl be related to? Unless…

"Kate, your profiles are so similar, you could be her mother."

She feels the color drain from her face. She can't breathe. This isn't happening. There's no way.

"Kate?"

She shakes her head. "No, no. It can't be. You must have made a mistake. No."

"I thought so too, but I had the CODIS administrator run it twice."

Kate sinks down into a chair, burying her face in her hands. She feels the sting of tears pricking her eyes. Lanie moves over to her and starts rubbing her back.

"I got pregnant when I was 19, after my mom died," she explains, her head still buried in her hands. "I gave her up for adoption."

"Oh Kate," Lanie breathes, keeping her hand on her friend's back.

"Castle doesn't even know. My dad is the only person still in my life who does." She lifts her head looking over at her. "I never thought I'd see her again."

Lanie moves her hand down and squeezes her arm. "Well, looks like you found each other again."


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I normally hate putting author's notes at the beginning, but I just wanted to clear one thing up. For those of you wondering, this isn't going to be Rogan's child. In fact, we're just going to pretend that little part of canon didn't even happen because I don't like it and this is my AU. This fic really has nothing to do with what happened in the finale; I've actually been trying to write it for two years now. A big thank you to everyone who's been supportive so far! It really does mean the world to me.

* * *

Everyone's at a loss for what to do next on this case, so Gates sent them home early. She said there was no use in them standing around staring at a board of photos; that they should come back to it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Kate's thankful for the reprieve, mainly because now she has more time to talk to Castle. She's never told him that she had a kid and she's not exactly sure how he's going to handle it.

"Hey, you're home early," Castle says, looking up from his laptop when she walks into his office. "Big break in the case?"

She shakes her head, slumping into the chair in the corner. "We're at a standstill. Gates sent everyone home hoping fresh eyes would find something tomorrow."

"I could come in," he offers, continuing to type away at his keyboard. "I haven't been following any of it. Maybe I'll catch something you missed."

Kate shrugs. "It's worth a shot."

The typing stops again and he looks over at her. He notices that her eyes are fixed onto a spot on the floor, not really looking at anything, but blankly staring. She looks drained, both emotionally and physically. Castle moves to stand behind her, kneading the knots out of her tension-filled shoulders.

She hums, her eyes slipping closed. "Babe, I need to tell you something."

"The case is getting to you, isn't it?"

"No, well yes, but it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

She opens her eyes and grabs his hands at her shoulders. "You might want to sit down."

Castle moves around to the front of the chair and kneels in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. He sees the sheen of tears in her eyes.

"Kate, you're scaring me. What is it?"

"That little girl…the teenager," she starts, avoiding his eyes. "Addison. From this case."

"Yeah, what about her?"

"She's mine."

Kate draws her gaze up to meet his and he meets her with a look of confusion.

"She's your what?" Castle asks.

She inhales a shaky breath. "My daughter."

Castle rocks back onto his heels and Kate wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I was 19 when I got pregnant, 20 when I gave birth. I sort of lost it that year after my mom died; did some things I'm not proud of."

She bites her lower lip, going back to avoiding his eyes.

"I gave her up for adoption when she was born because I was not in the right place in life to raise a kid. I entered the police academy instead. Our victims on this case? They were the couple I chose to raise her. And now they're dead and I'm the only family she has left. I don't even know if she knows that she was adopted."

He reaches for her hands, intertwining her fingers with his. "Why have you never told me about her?"

She can hear the hurt in his voice. Wants to kick herself for being so stupid and not telling him about this sooner.

"I never thought I'd see her again. I just…I don't want to say that I've forgotten about her, because I haven't, but I've really tried to block out that part of my life. I'm so sorry, Castle. I know we've moved passed the secrets, but –"

"You're right, we have moved passed them. You should have told me."

"I'm sorry," she says again.

Castle pulls her into a hug the best he can with her still sitting in the chair and him still kneeling on the floor. She buries her head in the crook of his neck, thankful that he is the man he is.

"How long have you known that she's yours?" he asks, rubbing her back.

"Lanie told me this afternoon. Said her DNA profile was close enough to mine that I could be her mother. God, I knew she looked familiar. She looks just like I did at that age. But she has her father's eyes."

"Who's her father?"

Kate sighs, pressing her forehead against his. "Some idiot I was dating who didn't want anything to do with me after he found out I was pregnant. It didn't matter to him that the baby was his. I have no idea what happened to him, nor do I really care."

"So what do you want to do? About Addison that is."

She sighs again, this time falling back against the chair. "It was a closed adoption. I gave up my rights. But if I…if we, don't take her in she's just going to end up in the system. But am I even capable of taking her in? I mean I have no idea how to be a mother, especially not to a teenager. I don't know if I can do this."

Castle squeezes her hands, still intertwined with his. She keeps rambling.

"And I don't want to put this all on you, hand you another teenage girl when you've just barely gotten your own out of the house. And we've been so busy trying to plan this wedding..."

He places a kiss to her knuckles, trying to calm her down. "Kate, if you want to take her in, I will support you. Or if you decide you just want to get to know her first before taking a step that big, I will support you in that too. Don't make this decision based off of me. Listen to your gut, your heart."

"We're a package deal now you know. If I get her, so do you."

He nods. "I'm well aware."

She bites her lower lip, shaking her head. "I can't ask you to –"

"Kate, in a couple of months, I'm going to be your husband. You _can _ask me to do this. She's your daughter and she needs some people who are going to care about her right now. And if she's anything like her mother, I'm going to love her."

She squeezes his hands again and leans forward to kiss him. "Thank you."

He cups her face, holding her there. "We'll figure this out, all right? Everything's going to be fine."

She nods, her arms snaking around him in another awkward hug. "What do you think I should do?"

"It sounds to me like your want her, but you're afraid."

"I was horrible to my mother as a teenager. And I'd known her my whole life. She didn't just up and abandon me only to walk back into my life 14 years later."

Castle runs a hand down her back. "Okay first of all, you didn't abandon her. You were trying to give Addison her best chance. You gave her to a family who loved her. I don't think she'll resent you for that."

"Not all teenage girls are as perfect as Alexis."

He smiles. "She just hit her rebellious peak late. You do recall her current choice of boyfriend, don't you?"

She sighs. "Pi certainly is something."

Castle laughs, pushing back from their hug so he can look at her. "I think you're going to make an amazing mom. I've seen you with my kid, you're good with her."

Kate nods, chewing on her lower lip. Maybe she can do this after all.

"Where's she going to sleep?"

"The guest bedroom upstairs. It's kind of small, but no one ever uses it."

"I guess that means I have to officially move in with you," she says, toying with the tuft of hair at the nape of this neck.

"You practically live here already," he says, smiling.

"This is crazy, isn't it? What we're about to do?"

"Such is life," Castle shrugs. He stands up, groaning when his knees pop in the process. "Guess I've been kneeling for too long."

She throws him a small smile, pushing herself up as well. "Come on old man, I'll make you dinner."

* * *

"Anything?" Kate asks, walking into the precinct the next morning with Castle by her side.

Ryan shakes his head. "I swear this guy is a ghost. There's just, there's nothing here. And the only DNA CSU has been able to recover belongs to the victims. Whoever our killer is, he completely covered his tracks. He knew what he was doing."

Castle moves over to the murder board, his eyes tracing over the arrows and pictures. "All these suspects, they've checked out?"

"They all have alibis," Kate explains.

"Good ones?"

"Unfortunately."

"I'm telling you it was a random killing," Esposito says. "Our killer didn't target these people out of vengeance. They were just the unlucky couple he followed home."

"What did they do for a living?" Castle asks. "If their daughter found them after school, I find it a bit odd that they were home in the middle of the day."

"The husband runs an internet startup company, works from home. The wife owned a bakery," Kate tells him.

"Is the bakery only open for breakfast?"

She shakes her head. "But since she owns it, she had staff covering for her that day. No one knew why she couldn't come in; just that she didn't and asked them to cover."

"Well that's suspicious," Castle mumbles, tapping his fingers along the edge of Kate's desk.

"We've looked into it," Ryan tells him. "It's just another dead end."

"How much longer until it's considered a cold case?" Castle asks.

"When the investigation is done, it's done," Esposito starts. "If we can't find anything else to go off of, this all gets boxed up and we move on to another case."

Castle glances over at Kate. She's standing with her eyes closed, her thumb and index finger pinching the bridge of her nose. Sighing, her eyes open and her hand rakes through her hair.

"I'm out of ideas," she says softly. "I guess I'll go call CPS."

"And do what?" Ryan asks. "Tell that girl we can't solve her parents murder?"

She exchanges a glance with Castle. "No. I am going to see what it takes to get my parental rights back."

Ryan looks over at Esposito in confusion. He shrugs. "I'm sorry, what do you mean get them back?"

She takes a deep breath. "Addison is my biological daughter."

The boys stare at her, eyes wide.

"It's a long story that I really don't feel like getting into right now," she tells them. "Castle can fill you in if you want."

They nod, watching her grab her cell phone and shut herself into the break room. The boys turn their stares to Castle.

"Did you know about this?" Esposito asks.

"She told me yesterday after Lanie got the DNA results from Addison back. I'll admit it was a bit of a shock, all right a big shock, huge even. But this kid has nowhere else to go and she's Kate's. It'll be an adjustment, but we'll make it through."

"Is Beckett going to be okay?" Ryan asks. "She seems a little…"

"She's just nervous," Castle tells him. "She's worried about the whole process of reclaiming custody. And I think there's still a part of her that worries that Addison isn't going to like her."

"But she's sure about this? Taking in a teenager?" Ryan asks, glancing over at the break room.

Castle nods. "We talked about it all of last night. She went back and forth about the decision for a while, but ultimately she decided that this is what she wants to do. She wants to know her daughter and doing this gives Addison somewhere to go, a safe home."

"And you're on board, man?" Esposito asks.

"I love her. I told her I'd support her no matter what she decided to do."

Esposito whistles. "You're one hell of a man, Castle. I couldn't do it."

Castle gives him a small smile, looking over toward the break room. Kate is pacing back and forth, her free hand scrubbing through her hair. He has the urge to go to her, to help her, but he doesn't know what he could do while she's just talking on the phone. He just wants her to know that he's here for her, and that he's not going anywhere.

She reappears out of the break room a little while later looking even more flustered than when she went in. Castle looks at her, his gaze expectant.

"We have a court date scheduled for next week," she tells him, slumping down in her desk chair.

"Do you get to see Addison before then? Explain what's going on?" Castle asks.

Kate nods. "I'm meeting with her tomorrow."

"Seems easy enough."

She almost laughs. Almost. "The lady from CPS just couldn't get over how odd these circumstances were. Her words. You know I tried telling her that I'm almost 34 and that I'm not the same person I was when I gave her up and she starts asking me all of these questions about my drug addiction –"

"Beckett, is there something else you're not telling me?"

She notices a shift in his tone, the normal playful air of it missing. "No. I have never been addicted to any drug of any kind. She just didn't understand what I meant when I told her that I've changed."

"Well most of her cases probably deal with addicts," he tells her. "I wouldn't take it personally."

Kate sighs. "I'm not."

They fall into silence and Castle starts fidgeting with a pen on the edge of her desk. He mindlessly clicks it open and closed, staring at it intently.

"It's okay to be mad," she says softly, reaching out to stop him from clicking the pen anymore.

"What do you mean?"

"You have been so supportive in all of this, amazingly so actually. But I can tell that you're mad and you have every right to be. If you're not actually okay with doing this –"

Castle scrubs a hand over his face. "Of course I'm mad, Kate. You can't just continue keeping things like this from me. You lied to me about what you remembered from your shooting, you didn't tell me about the job in D.C., and now this? We're getting married. You're supposed to trust me."

"I do trust you."

"But I can tell how important this is to you. I could tell yesterday, how terrible you felt for not having told me about her sooner. So I tried my best to be understanding and forgiving last night. But the anger hasn't fully dissipated yet. And while I may not understand why you were keeping something so huge from me…" he trails off shaking his head.

"I could bring her back to my apartment, if that's easier. Let her adjust there for a while."

"No. No, we're in this together, remember? Package deal. But I need to know, is there anything else you've been keeping from me?"

She shakes her head. "You know everything there is to know about me. I promise."

Castle nods, leaning back in his chair. "So, did CPS make it sound like it was going to be easy to get her back?"

"I suppose. Still feels like we have to jump through a lot of hoops though. Which I get, I mean…" she trails off, shaking her head.

"We'll get there," Castle tells her, reaching out to rub her arm. "Maybe things will feel better once you've had a chance to talk to her tomorrow."

She pats his hand on her arm. "I hope so, Castle. I really do."


	3. Chapter 3

Castle wakes up and finds her standing in the doorway, her skin glistening with sweat. He catches her staring at him.

"Do you make a habit out of watching me while I sleep?" he smirks.

Kate tosses him a small smile, shaking her head. "I couldn't sleep so I got up early and went for a run to clear my head. I actually haven't been standing here all that long. You just looked so peaceful."

"Nerves about talking to Addison today keeping you up?"

She shrugs, moving to sit on the edge of their bed to untie her running shoes. "It's a lot of things."

Kate stands up again, kicking her shoes into the closet, and heading toward the bathroom to take a shower. She pauses in the doorway, tapping her fingers along the doorframe. She spins back around to face him.

"We're okay, right?" she asks, biting her lower lip.

He can tell now that part of her nerves stem from upsetting him.

"Yeah, we're okay," Castle tells her.

"Are you sure? Because if we're not –"

Castle pushes himself off of the bed and walks over to her.

"Kate, you and I are fine. Stop worrying about it," he tells her, running his hands up and down her arms.

She nods. "Good. I'd hug you, but I smell."

He laughs, brushing past her into the bathroom. "I need to shower too, might as well take one together. You know to conserve water."

She smiles, trailing along after him and pulling the door closed. "Right, I'm sure the conservation of water is _exactly_ what you had in mind."

* * *

She sits in the conference room at the CPS office, nervously wringing her hands together. How do you go about telling someone that you're their biological mother, especially if that person doesn't know that they're adopted? She feels like she's going to be sick.

The door opens and she nearly jumps out of her seat. A social worker directs Addison into the room, and then closes the door behind her to give them their privacy. Kate can't remember the last time she was this nervous.

"Detective Beckett," the girl smiles, sitting down across from her. Kate swears she has the same smile.

"Kate. You can call me Kate."

She nods. "Right, Kate. Did you find anything?"

She stalls, pretending to interpret her question as a question about her parents' murder. "I'm sorry to say that the case is at a standstill. The guy just didn't leave any evidence behind. And all of the possible suspects we've come across have checked out."

Addison's smile falters and she shrinks down into the chair. "So this guy is just going to get away with it?"

"I won't let that happen," Kate tells her, already making promises she might not able to keep. "I'm still looking for the person responsible for my mother's death. I don't give up."

Her smile returns ever so briefly, before it fades away again. "What about my DNA? Were you able to find any relatives?"

She draws in a sharp breath, running her hand through her hair. "Addison, I have to ask. Did you know that you were adopted?"

Addison pulls on the string on her hoodie, fidgeting. "I had an idea."

"An idea?"

"I mean they never flat out told me, but I overhead the occasional conversation. I didn't want to believe it at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I just got the feeling that I didn't belong, that I didn't fit in. I thought about asking them about it a couple of times, but I didn't want to hurt their feelings. They were great parents." She twirls the string around the length of her index finger, using her other hand to wipe away a tear. "So you found them then? My biological parents?"

"Is that why you wanted me to run your DNA?" Kate asks, still avoiding. "Not to find long lost second cousins twice removed, but to find your biological parents?"

"I figured whatever family you found would be better than being a complete orphan," she shrugs. "So spill. Who'd you find?"

She exhales a breath she didn't even realize she was holding. "Your mother."

Her face lights up for a split second, but then falls again. "Really? Did you talk to her? Do think she'll want me even though she didn't 14 years ago?"

Kate opens her mouth to respond, but then stops herself when she feels the tears pricking her eyes. She's not going to start crying again, not yet. She clears her throat.

"She wants you." It comes out so softly, she's not even sure if Addison heard it.

The girl's eyes widen and Kate swears she can just see her mind racing with thoughts and possibilities. But then she shakes her head, snapping out of it.

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm a horrible person. My parents just died and here I am getting all excited about this woman who didn't even want me," Addison says, pulling on her hoodie string again.

"We all cope in weird ways," Kate tells her.

"How'd you do it? When your mom died?"

She takes a deep breath. "Well I was a freshman in college and I watched my dad turn into an alcoholic because he couldn't handle the pain of losing his wife, which apparently hurt more when he was sober. I dropped out of Stanford in California where I had been Pre-Law to move home to New York and take care of him. And then I decided that I was going to become a cop so I could solve my mother's murder. I guess you could say I'm still coping."

Addison gives her a small smile, wiping at her eyes again. "So what's her name? My mother?"

This is it. The moment of truth. Kate squeezes her hands together under the table. "Her name is Kate Beckett."

"But I thought that your name was –"

Kate looks her in the eyes for a second before dropping her gaze to her lap.

"You're my mom?"

She sounds so small and timid when she says it. Kate closes her eyes and feels the tears trickle down her cheeks.

"Yes," she says opening them. "When we ran your DNA, it came back with mine. You're the baby girl I gave up for adoption."

Addison sits back in her chair, looking like her mind is racing again. "If you want me now, why did you give me up back then?"

Kate scrubs a hand through her hair. "I was 19 when I got pregnant. It happened not long after my mom died. I was not in the right place in my life to care for a child. So instead I gave you to a family who I knew would take care of you and give you the life you deserved."

She's crying now too. "Were you ever going to come look for me?"

"It was a closed adoption. I couldn't."

"But if you really wanted to…" Addison trails off, shaking her head. "What about my father?"

"I don't know where he is. But he wasn't a very good guy though, you're probably better off without him."

"What about you?" she asks, softly. "Are you a good person?"

"I'd like to think that I am."

Addison wipes at her eyes again. "So what do I just pack my bags and come home with you?"

"We have a court date set for next week."

"A court date? For what? I'm your daughter."

Kate closes her eyes again as a sob threatens to escape. Her words, _I'm your daughter,_ echo around in her head.

"It's just a formality," Kate assures her. "They'll grant me custody."

"This is insane," Addison says, standing up and starting to pace the room. "The detective investigating my adoptive parents' murder is my biological mother and to top it all off she's still investigating the murder of her own her mother."

"I know this is a lot…"

"You're damn right it is!" She flinches. "Sorry, darn right."

Kate shakes her head, almost laughing. "You're fine."

That seems to calm her down a bit and she quits pacing. "My parents hated it when I said 'damn.' Which, by the way, I never understood because I mean it's not like I use the F word."

A small smile creeps across her face. "I get that. I discovered the word crap when I was your age and loved throwing the phrase 'this is crap' around. My mother hated it. Said it wasn't ladylike."

That gets Addison to smile as well. "It could have been worse. I mean it's not like you were saying this is BS. But like saying the actual words instead of the initials."

"I know right? Parents, man."

The girl shakes her head, laughing.

"Listen, Addison –"

"Addie. I only get called Addison when I'm being yelled at or by the teacher's at school."

Kate nods. "Right okay, so Addie. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I wish I had been able to meet you under better circumstances. But this is where we are. Are you okay with the idea of coming to live with me and my fiancé?"

"Depends. What's your fiancé like?"

She smiles. "He's a great guy. Really supportive."

Addison holds out her hand and Kate stares at it for a moment before taking it. She shakes their joined hands.

"Thank you, Kate," she says when the social worker comes back in for her. "Thank you for giving me a home."

* * *

Castle finds her in the break room, stirring cream into her coffee.

"How'd it go?" he asks, pouring himself his own cup.

Kate smiles, holding the mug and allowing it to warm her hands. "There were a lot of tears, from both of us, but she doesn't appear to hate me."

"Well that's good," he says, reaching for the sugar. "Right?"

"She really reminds me of myself," she says, shaking her head and taking a seat at the table. "You'll have to talk to her and see if you get the same vibe."

"Don't say that," Castle says, taking a seat next to her. "I already managed to dodge the whole tattoos, piercings, and motorcycle thing once. I don't think I could handle a teenage you."

Kate glares at him over the rim of her coffee mug.

"Just saying," he shrugs.

"But you love my tattoo," she pouts. "You always pay it extra attention when you're –"

"Hey Beckett, we've got a new case," Ryan announces walking into the break room.

"A new one?" Kate asks. "What happened to the double homicide we've been working?"

"Gates is calling it. It's cold until something else turns up."

She exhales. "Fine. Where's the new body at?"

* * *

"It doesn't bother you that our latest victim looks exactly like Lanie?" Castle asks, taping up a box of her books at her apartment.

"Of course it does," Kate tells him, pulling more books off of the shelf.

"I mean I've heard everyone has a doppelganger out there but this is ridiculous."

"What's more disturbing is that our victim had plastic surgery to make herself look like Lanie. Not your average doppelganger now is she?"

"This is starting to sound more and more like _Invasion of the Body Snatchers _by the second," he grumbles flipping open her copy of his first Derrick Storm novel. "Hey, I signed this!"

She looks over her shoulder. "Ah yes my first official meeting of the infamous Richard Castle."

"Was I nice to you? Please tell me I was nice to you."

"You tried to hit on me."

"See? I was nice." He traces his index finger over the loopy script of his signature. "I don't remember writing this."

"You've signed a lot of books, Castle, don't worry about it."

"Yeah, but you're you. And the first time we met is different for you, a whole other memory."

"It didn't last long," Kate tells him, taking the tape from him to close up another box of books.

The color drains from his face. "I didn't sleep with you, did I?"

She shoves the box at him. "You tried to hit on me, Castle. _Tried_. You did not succeed."

He sighs, the relief evident on his face. "Good. For a second there I was worried you also had a different memory of our first time together."

"Did the phrase 'it didn't last long' tip you off?" she smirks.

"Hey!" he chucks the roll of tape at her. "I last plenty long thank you very much and you know it."

"You didn't last very long in the shower this morning," Kate calls over her shoulder, moving to the other side of her couch to get more empty boxes.

"You did the tongue thing!" he protests. "You know it makes me weak."

She grins, cleaning off the rest of her shelves.

"You sure have a lot of books," Castle grumbles, writing on the top of the last of her book boxes.

"Says the author."

He drags them over to the keep pile, which is oddly bigger than her give away pile.

"I don't think all of this stuff is going to fit at the loft," he tells her. "Especially since I have to stop using the guest room as a storage room."

She passes by him on her way into the kitchen, kisses him on the cheek as she goes. "It's called compromise, babe. You need to go through your stuff too."

"But I'm not moving," he tries to protest.

"No, but you're gaining two more permanent residents."

"You girls have too much stuff."

She raises an eyebrow at him, pointing the spatula she just picked up in his direction. "Excuse me? Do we need to get into a discussion about all of the weird memorabilia that you collect?"

"My stuff's not weird. Yours is." He pulls the creepy mask she had tried to seduce him in last year out of her closet and shudders. "Like this. Discard."

He tosses it into the give away pile.

"And who gave you the right to make that decision?" Kate asks, taping up a box of her kitchen stuff.

Castle walks back out of her room, carrying the remaining contents of her kink box that haven't made their way to the loft by now. "What about this?"

She peers into the box, her lips quirking up into a mischievous grin. "Definitely keep."

He grins back, setting it down on top of one of the book boxes. "And here I thought we'd already moved all of your toys over."

Kate smiles, moving to wrap her arms around him. "Thank you for helping me," she hums against his neck.

Castle kisses her temple and then rests his forehead against hers. "Thank you for agreeing to marry me."

"Haven't you already thanked me for that? You know the night before I left for D.C. and then again the morning before…"

"Hmm yes, I do recall that," he says kissing her.

He runs his hand up her back and she shivers. "We're doing this a little backwards you know, raising a kid before we get married?"

"We'll make it work, Kate. We always do."


	4. Chapter 4

He's heading back to the courtroom from the restroom when he sees Addison standing in the hall. He vaguely recalls her appearance from the crime scene, but what really tips him off is her resemblance to Kate. Castle figures he may as well introduce himself. If he doesn't do it now, he'll be doing it later anyway.

"Addison?"

The girl looks up. "Do I know you?"

Maybe he should have waited after all. "I'm Kate's fiancé."

She gives him a once over. "Richard Castle. _New York Time's_ best-selling author of such series as Derrick Storm and Nikki Heat, the one you based off of Kate."

He laughs. "You Googled me?"

She shrugs. "Maybe I did. Just curious about my new living arrangements and all. I hear you're loaded."

He starts to respond when her case worker returns from the restroom and guides her toward the courtroom doors.

"See you in there," Addison calls over her shoulder.

He can see it. She's definitely a mini Beckett.

* * *

Addison's quiet on the drive home. She stares out the window watching the rain trickle down.

"So what does everyone want for dinner?" Castle asks, trying to break the silence.

"I'm not picky," Addison says, quietly.

Silence.

"Castle, do you still have that flash drive we took from Kelly Neiman's office?" Kate asks, trying to make the drive less awkward.

"Yeah it's at home."

"Have you looked at the files on it yet?"

"No, I was waiting for you."

She nods and the silence overwhelms them again.

"You have a new case," Addison says after a long pause in the conversation. It isn't even a question, just a statement. One laced with disappointment in her tone.

"Yeah, we just closed it," Kate tells her.

"No," Castle says shaking his head. "It's far from over. He's still out there –"

"Can we not get into this again right now?"

It grows quiet again as Castle drops the 3XK argument.

"If you're getting new cases, they must have given up on my parents," Addison says looking back out the window.

"I don't give up. I told you that," Kate says.

"I know," she says, looking at her. "That's why I said they and not you."

Kate looks over at her and smiles as Castle's driver pulls up to the loft.

"Do you guys get chauffeured around everywhere?" the girl asks, sliding out of the car.

"No, I usually just drive," Kate tells her. "Castle just enjoys taking his car service from time to time. I guess he was trying to make a good first impression."

She nods looking up at the loft. "Do you own this whole building too?"

Castle laughs, holding open the front door for them to walk through. "No, just a loft apartment. I don't think I'm as rich as you think I am."

They all step into the elevator, another round of silence engulfing them, no one knowing quite what to say.

"So when do I get the rest of my stuff?" Addison asks, as Castle pushes open the door to the loft.

"We can get it tomorrow," Kate tells her, leading her in the direction of her room. "I made sure I had the weekend off so I could help you move and get settled."

Addison stops in the doorway of the guest room, running her hand over the wooden frame. "What about the furniture in my room?"

"We'll move whatever you want us to. We just want you to feel comfortable here."

She enters into the room and drops her duffle bag on the dresser. She falls back onto the bed staring up at the ceiling. "Everything is changing so quickly."

Kate steps further into her doorway, leaning against the frame. "I know."

"I always thought that if I ever met my birth parents, we'd have like scheduled meetings or lunch dates or something. That suddenly, I'd be this kid with two sets of parents. I never thought something like this would happen. I still can't believe that it did."

"I can hardly believe it either. What are the chances of me catching your parents' case?"

"If you didn't, do you think I still would have ended up here?"

She crosses her arms over her chest and shrugs. "Hard to say."

Addison sits up looking around the room. "I'm going to unpack what I have. Make it feel a little more like home."

"Do you what you need to do. I'll be downstairs trying to figure out dinner."

She pushes herself off the bed and starts to unzip her duffle bag as Kate turns to leave.

"Oh and Kate?"

She spins back around.

"Thank you, for all of this. I know that you didn't want me, but –"

"Hey," Kate cuts her off, stepping back into the room. "I want you. Just because I wasn't ready to be a mother before…you can't think like that okay? Giving you up was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But we're together now. And I don't expect you to start seeing me as your mother right away or even after a while. But I'm here for you, and I'm not letting go ever again."

Addison bites her lower lip and nods, turning to pull a shirt out of her bag. "You're going to have to let me go someday, you know. I plan to go to college and get married…"

Kate smiles. "We'll talk."

Addison tosses her a signature "Beckett look" making Kate's smile burst into laughter.

"You really are a mini me," she says, shaking her head and turning to leave again. "Even after I missed the first 14 years to influence you."

"Must be genetics."

* * *

Kate finds Castle hovering over his laptop with the flash drive from Kelly Neiman's office twisting through his fingers. He looks up when he hears her approaching and waves her over.

"Ready to see what's on this?"

She glances back up at the stairs.

"Everything okay?" he asks, following her gaze.

She turns back to him. "Yeah, Addie's just getting settled in.

"Do you want to wait?" he asks, holding the flash drive up to her.

"No, no go ahead."

He nods, slipping it into the USB port and waiting for the options folder to pop up.

"It's an audio file," Castle tells her, clicking on it.

The twinkling notes of a song fill the room as a voice starts singing. _We'll meet again, don't know where don't know when._ Her face goes pale as the words hit her. _But I know we'll meet again some sunny day. Keep smiling through just like you always do till the blue skies drive the dark clouds far away. _

She backs away from the laptop until she bumps into the couch.

"What is it?" Castle asks.

"My mom," she chokes out. "When I was little she went on business trips a lot. She used to sing me this song while she was putting me to bed the night before she had to leave. I mean I knew when she was coming home, but this song used to be the only thing that would calm me down."

Kate grips the edges of the couch. "How would Tyson know that?"

Castle pulls the flash drive out, moving over to her. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"What so now you believe in coincidences involving Jerry Tyson? Castle, this message was meant for me. I'm next. First, he steals Ryan's service weapon and kills someone with it, then he tries to frame you for murder, now he has an apprentice getting people to look exactly like Lanie and Esposito. I'm the only one left."

He gathers her up in his arms. "I'm the one he's out to get."

"You told me last year that he'd seen us in bed together. He knows hurting me hurts you."

He squeezes her tighter. "Kate, I really don't think the song is supposed to be about you. I just think he wants us to know that he's still out there."

"Who's still there out?"

They pull apart from their embrace and turn to find Addison standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"No one," Kate tells her, scrubbing a hand through her hair.

"Doesn't sound like no one," Addison says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"It's just case business," Kate tries again. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"But you seem worried about it."

"So, should I order a pizza?" Castle asks, trying to change the subject.

But Addison persists. "Is someone trying to hurt you?"

Kate exchanges a glance with Castle. She already has a target on her back from Bracken and now she's back to worrying about 3XK and his new apprentice. But does her 14-year-old daughter really need to know all of that?

When neither of them says anything, Addison keeps talking. "I just want to know before I get too attached, you know? I don't think I could handle losing any more parents."

"Castle and I have been through a lot of near death experiences," Kate starts, avoiding the direct question. "But we always manage to pull through and survive. We'll be fine."

Addison throws her a look like she doesn't quite believe her. "I like pepperoni on my pizza."

Then she goes and sits in front of the TV, flipping through channels to find something to watch. Kate turns back to Castle.

"Maybe I should tell her," she says in a hushed tone.

"About Tyson? You might as well throw in Bracken while you're at it."

"I just want her to trust me."

"She will. There are just some things she's better off not knowing."

* * *

Castle is helping her unpack the last of her boxes when he comes across the one containing her makeshift murder board for her mother's case.

"I don't remember you having this many files about your mother's case," he says, pulling one out.

"Because not all of them are her case," she tells him, snatching the manila folder away from him.

But he picks up another and flips it open. "Kate," he sighs, after reading the name at the top of the file.

"What? I told you I was going to keep looking into it."

"The last thing you need right now is another rabbit hole to go chasing down."

"But I promised her –"

"Kate."

He drops the file he was holding and takes the one in her hands away from her so he can hold onto her hands. He runs his thumbs over the back of her palms.

"This guy brutally murdered two seemingly innocent people and if I don't keep digging, he's going to get away with it. I know better than anyone what it's like to have someone that you love murdered and not know who's responsible for it. It's hell. I don't want her to suffer like I did. I _need_ to give her closure."

"Are you sure this isn't just because you can't take Bracken down? Because you can't get closure of your own?"

She squeezes his hands. "It's not."

"I know you, Kate. You don't back down, even when you should."

She drops his hands and brings hers up to cup his face. "I promise you, I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm digging, that's it. The moment I find something, I'll tell Gates. I'm not dumb enough to go after this guy alone. This isn't my mother's case; I'm not clouded by my own judgment."

Castle's hands slip around her waist, pulling her close to him. "I just don't want to lose you. To this guy or Tyson or Bracken or anyone."

"You won't," she says, burying her head in his neck. "Just like I told Addie earlier, we almost die a lot, but we always manage to survive."


	5. Chapter 5

"What if they don't like me?" Addison asks nervously, twisting her hair into a braid.

Kate leans inside her doorway, glancing around at the half unpacked boxes and the mismatched furniture. "They're going to like you."

"But what if they don't?"

"Ever since Castle and I got engaged, my dad has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about wanting grandchildren. You're his first grandchild; he's going to love you."

Addison turns away from her mirror, securing her braid with an elastic. "Okay, but what about Castle's family? Martha and umm Alexis, is it?"

"Stop stressing," Kate tells her, moving to place her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "They're not going to hate you."

Addison shrugs her off and moves to sit on the bed. She sits on her hands, staring down at her feet. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what? Be yourself?"

The girl sighs. "It's just…meeting the whole family, it makes it real for me, like you were saying going to your mom's funeral made it real for you. I mean I don't know why finding their bodies or going to their funeral didn't make it real, but…it's like it's finally sinking in. This is my life now. These people are my family."

Kate moves further into the room and sits down next to her on the bed. "I can't imagine what it's like to have to replace everything that you know about who you are. At the very least, you're still at the same school with the same friends who, as far as I can tell, have been really supportive throughout all of this."

"Yeah sure my friends are great, but you should see the looks I get from the other kids. The whispers in the hallways about that girl with the murdered parents. I feel like I'm an animal in a zoo or an attraction at a carnival. I don't blend in like I used to. Suddenly people I don't even know, know exactly who I am. I hate it."

"8th grade can be rough –"

"High school's going to be even worse, isn't it?" Addison asks, looking over at her.

"By next year, you'll be at a brand new school full of new people and this whole thing will have blown over. They'll be some new scandal sweeping the school district."

She sighs, shaking her head. "How was high school for you?"

Kate bites her lower lip recalling her rebellious phase. She can't decide how much she wants to reveal. She wants to be honest with her, but at the same time she doesn't want Addison to know _everything _about her past.

"It was okay," she answers after a moment's hesitation. "No one picked on me or bullied me. They weren't the best years of my life, but they weren't the worst either. It was…high school. Pointless drama, annoying homework, stupid boys who end up breaking your heart. But before you know it, it's all over and the real world is staring you right in the face."

"How bad is the real world?" Addison asks, tugging on her braid.

"Well unfortunately for you, kid, you already know."

She nods, standing up and smoothing down her shirt. "Kate?"

She stands up too, starting to head for the door. "Yes?"

"The real world will get better won't it?"

Kate nods, chewing on her lower lip. "It will. Until it gets worse again. Vicious cycle."

Addison groans, joining her at the door.

"I'll help you through it," Kate tells her. "All of it."

* * *

"She looks just like you," Jim says, sidling up next to Kate in the kitchen.

"I know," she laughs. "Creepy isn't it?"

"Did you notice that when she was born?"

Kate shakes her head. "I never saw her. Didn't want to. I thought it would make giving her up too hard."

"I never thought I'd actually get to meet her."

She gives him a half smile. "Neither did I."

"So this man comes up to me today," Martha starts, motioning for everyone to gather around her in the living room. "And starts insisting that we've met somewhere before."

"That woman has a thing for dramatics, doesn't she?" Jim whispers.

"She's an actress, Dad. Of course she does."

Kate leads her father into the living room, perching on the arm of the couch next to Addison.

"And I assured him that I never forget a face and that I certainly had never seen him before," Martha continues, waving her arms about.

Addison leans over to Kate. "Is she always like this?"

"Pretty much. You'll get used to it."

"So he starts listing off all of the possible places our paths could have crossed and none of them rang a bell, of course. Turns out, he was trying to hit on me!"

"Mother," Castle groans, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"I've still got it," Martha beams. "Richard, you should be glad I'm not some old, white-haired, invalid."

"I'm glad, Grams," Alexis smiled. "Even if Dad is mortified by it."

"All right, all right," Castle says, standing up. "Dinner is probably ready by now. It smells done. Let's all get to the table."

Addison sits near the corner where Castle put his wine glass down and motions for Kate to sit on the other side of her. She does, Jim sitting on the other end as Martha and Alexis sit across from them.

"So, Addie, what are you into?" Alexis asks, smiling as she pulls a napkin into her lap.

"What am I into?" she parrots back, confused.

"You know, sports, hobbies, things like that."

Addison pulls her braid over her shoulder. "I'm a dancer." She turns to Kate. "I can go back to class this week, right? I'm going crazy without it."

"Yeah, just give me your schedule. We'll get you there."

Martha lights up at the mention of her being a performer. "You dance? What styles?"

She shrugs. "All of them really. Well, except for Ballroom."

"You're looking at the three time National Champion over here," Castle says, carrying a plate of food over to the table. "Although if you ask me, it should have been four time. You were robbed in '09."

Addison stares at him in disbelief.

"What?" he asks, setting the plate on the table. "You can Google me, but I can't Google you?"

She grins. "I only got beat that year because there was a boy in my age category. Boys who dance always get favoritism with judges and teachers, especially when they're actually good."

"Like I said," Castle says over his shoulder as he moves to bring over another plate of food. "You were robbed."

"Addison, darling, have you ever considered acting?" Martha asks.

"Mother…"

"My dance teacher, Leslie, says that I should. She says I show great emotion on stage."

"Don't get her started," Alexis says, holding up her hands. "She'll put you in acting boot camp. So much as mention that you're _thinking_ about auditioning for the school play and she'll have you up at six AM doing voice exercises."

Martha rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, Alexis. It wasn't that bad."

"Yes," Alexis starts, reaching for a dinner roll. "It was."

"So, how'd you get started in dance?" Jim asks, pulling focus back to Addison.

"When I was little I loved spinning around in circles so my mom decided to put me into a ballet class. I've been spinning ever since."

"Well you certainly didn't get your dancing ability from Kate here," Castle teases, finally taking his seat at the table.

"Watch it," Kate returns, glaring at him.

"So three Championship Titles," Alexis starts. "Dance must be your whole life then."

Addison shrugs. "I guess. I mean I love it, but to say that it's my whole life…I want my life to be more than that."

"So wise for a teenager," Castle says, spooning food onto his plate.

She throws him a look that he swears he's seen before on Kate. Mini Beckett at it again.

"Anyway," Addison starts, running her index finger around the rim of her water glass. "Enough about me. Tell me about you guys. I want to know the ins and outs of this family I just joined."

Kate laughs, patting her on the back. "How much time do you have, Addie?"

* * *

"I think it went well," Castle says, climbing into bed next to Kate.

She nods, rubbing lotion onto her hands. "Yeah, it did."

"You seem surprised."

She shakes her head. "Just relieved."

Kate turns off the lamp by the bed and slides down onto her pillow, snuggling into Castle's side. He drapes an arm around her, pulling her close.

"Done any more digging on the double homicide yet?"

"It's hard to dig when you don't know where to start."

"What about Tyson?" he asks, smoothing his hand down her back.

"Just another ghost in the wind," she sighs.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but Bracken?"

She pushes her head against his chest. "I haven't touched that case since I saved his life, and you know it."

His hand curls at the back of her scalp. "Just checking in."

"What, you didn't believe me when I told you no more secrets? If I had found out anything about any of those cases, I would have told you."

"Don't get so defensive, I was just asking."

She huffs, but doesn't say anything else.

"Kate –"

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry, before you'll actually believe me?"

"I do believe you," he insists. "Honestly, Kate, I wasn't insinuating anything. I was just curious."

She sighs again, burying her head in the crook of his neck.

"Sorry," Kate mumbles.

"I know you're stressed," Castle tells her, combing his fingers through her hair. "Just try not to take it out on me, okay?"

She kisses the edge of his jaw.

"I know you want to be superwoman, and do it all, but you're going to need to cut back somewhere with these cases. It isn't just you and me anymore, we have Addison now to worry about."

"That's exactly why I can't cut back. What is there to stop Bracken or Tyson from going after her? If they find out about her, they'll know getting to her will get to me. And I owe it to her to catch her parents' killer. I can handle it."

His hand presses back into the base of her scalp. "But just digging though, right? Like you promised?"

"Yes," she tells him, kissing him on the lips this time. "All I want right now are answers. I won't act unless I have ample backup."

"And I don't count as backup," Castle reminds her.

"Funny, you never used to think that," Kate smirks.

"Yeah well, maybe it's time I face the facts that I don't know what I'm doing."

"Please, you've saved my life at least a dozen times. You're a good partner, Castle. I'd let you have my back any day."

"Funny, you never used to think that."

She rolls her eyes as he starts laughing.

"Wouldn't it be convenient if all of these cases were connected?" Castle asks when his laughter dies down.

"Yeah like that would ever happen," Kate rolls her eyes again.

"Ah yes, I can see it now. Tyson is another one of Bracken's lackeys. And they found out about Addison, and killed her adoptive parents as a warning to you."

"Don't," she says, shaking her head against his chest. "Just don't."

He huffs. "I've had worse theories."

"Wow, I'm surprised you're actually admitting to that."

Castle hits her shoulder and she laughs. "I'd also like to add that some of my theories have helped you solve cases."

"If they didn't, I'm sure Gates would have kicked you out by now."

"Oh please, Gates loves me. She and I are like this."

He crosses his fingers and holds them in front of her face.

"In that case, I'll be sure to let her know that she's part of your wedding party."

"Hmmm, don't do that. But that is something we need to discuss though. Wedding parties, the guest list…"

"There's a lot we still need to discuss. Just not tonight, okay?"

He hums, snuggling deeper into his pillow. "Fine. But tomorrow, we really should get started on those lists."

* * *

AN: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your amazing response to this story so far! Your reviews and kind words really mean a lot. Just a heads up, I'm going to be in France for two weeks so this may be the last update you get until the middle of July. I'll do my best to update as soon as I can when I get back.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Beckett, I pulled those plates you wanted."

Kate looks up from the paperwork on her desk to see Ryan walking toward her with a file in hand. She thanks him, taking the file, and flipping it open. She'd found the security footage from outside Addison's apartment building that had previously been undiscovered because of a system error at the apartment complex. Once the system was up and running again, she'd ordered the video from the timeframe that would have fit the murder and taken note of every visible license plate. It could very well be another dead end, but she had to try. There had to be _something_ on the security tapes she could use to develop a new lead.

She reads through the list of names, ruling out the neighbors she's already spoken to. A handful of names are new to her, so she stars them on the list to run background checks on later. She keeps expecting to see a name connected to Tyson or Bracken, just because she can't get Castle's crazy theories out of her head. She has to remind herself that the cases aren't actually connected.

Kate gets to the bottom of the list and starts to pull up the background check program when her phone rings.

"Beckett," she answers out of instinct.

Her heart catches in her throat when she realizes it's Addison's school calling. Her mind races with all of the possibilities of what could have gone wrong, barely listening to the administrator on the other line. What if whoever killed her parents got to her as well? What if this whole thing gave her some form of PTSD and she had a breakdown at school? What if?

"Ms. Beckett, are you there?"

Kate shakes her head, refocusing on the conversation.

"Yes, sorry, I'm here. They brought in the suspect we've been looking for and I got distracted," she lies. "Can you tell me that again?"

She pays attention this time. Listens as the woman on the other end explains Addison got into a fight. _A fight? Addie?_ Not possible. Or maybe there's a whole other side to the girl Kate just hasn't seen yet.

She hangs up the phone and pushes herself out of her chair, scrubbing a hand through her hair.

"Catch a lead?" Castle asks, walking into the bullpen with their mid-afternoon coffees.

"No," Kate sighs, sliding into her coat. "I have to go down to Addison's school."

"Everything okay?" he asks, worry seeping into his tone as he tries to hand her the coffee.

"She got into a fight."

"Like a fist fight?"

She shrugs, finally taking the coffee and heading towards the elevator. "I don't know. The vice principal barely gave me details. She wants to talk in person."

He trails behind her. "Do you think she's acting out because of what happened –"

"Castle," Kate cuts him off, frustrated, as she pushes the down arrow to call the elevator. "You know as much as I do. Probably more actually, because I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Don't look at me; I have no experience with school fights."

She steps into the elevator taking a long sip of her coffee as Castle holds the door open.

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asks.

"No, I'll be fine."

"We're a team now, remember?"

Kate steps toward him, cupping his face with her free hand. She rubs her thumb over his jaw. "I know."

He nods, stepping back to let the elevator doors close. "And Kate? First time parents never know what they're doing."

* * *

Addison looks so small sitting there outside of the administration office. Perhaps even smaller than she did on the day she discovered her parents' bodies. She's sitting on her hands, her eyes trained on the floor. At least there are no visible injuries on her. But does that mean she was the one to start the fight? Kate slides into the chair next to her, silently. Addison doesn't look up; she doesn't even move.

"You gonna tell me what happened?"

Nothing.

"Look, you can either tell me your side now or wait for me to hear the vice principal's version."

"I didn't hit her that hard," Addison mumbles quietly. "It's just a bloody nose, she'll get over it."

"You make a habit out of hitting people?"

She shakes her head, still not looking up from the floor.

"Then what provoked you?" Kate asks, jumping slightly as the school bell sounds.

She just shakes her head again.

"Addie, I know I haven't known you for that long, but I think I know you well enough to know that getting into fights isn't who you are. Did this girl do something to you or say something to you that made you upset?"

Addison finally looks up to face her. "I was defending you."

Kate's jaw nearly drops open. "Defending _me_?"

The girl shrugs, withdrawing again. "Word gets around you know, people talk, Google exists."

"I'm not sure I'm following."

"Jaclyn…she's always hated me, always been jealous of me. I beat her in regional competitions every year and there's no way she could even touch my National Titles. But here at school, she's popular. And she uses her status and her lackeys to make sure I don't forget how she feels about me on a daily basis. When word got out that my parents died, I didn't get any pity looks from her. She just gives me these smug little smiles, like she's happy that my perfect little life bubble has been popped."

Addison takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself while wiping away a stray tear.

"Lately, she's been trying to throw around these foster care jokes, so I finally told her that my birth mom took me in. So I guess she did her research, so she'd have some new material to taunt me with."

"About me," Kate says slowly.

Addison nods. "She called you a whore. Teenage pregnancy, engaged to a rich man ten years older than you. I couldn't let her talk about you like that. She doesn't even know you. Or Castle. And she doesn't know about the circumstances that caused you to give me up or any of that. I just…I snapped. No one gets to talk trash about my family, especially not Jaclyn Hoffman."

Kate sighs, reaching over to rub her back. "Oh kid, you really are a Beckett."

"So, are you going to ground me or something?"

She shakes her head, still rubbing her back. "No. I'm going to thank you. Thank you for defending me and for seeing me as family after everything."

"So, you're not mad?"

Kate shakes her head again, a small smile gracing her lips. "Sounds like she had it coming."

Addison laughs, seeming so much bigger than she did when Kate first arrived. So maybe she had no idea how to be a parent, but it seemed like she was doing an okay job at it.

The secretary pops her head out of the office. "The vice principal will see you now."

* * *

"The infamous Muhammad Ali returns," Castle says by way of greeting when Kate and Addison walk into the loft.

Addison looks at him confused. "Who?"

He gapes at her. "Kids these days. They don't even know their boxers."

"Okay old timer, settle down," Kate smirks, tossing her keys on the table.

"What's the verdict, Detective?" he keeps teasing. "Life without parole?"

"I got suspended for the rest of the week," Addison sighs, slumping down at the kitchen island. "Meanwhile, all Jaclyn gets is an ego boost."

"The bloody nose caused that?" Kate asks.

"No, the continued slippage of my perfect bubble."

"You lost me," Castle says, pulling out ingredients to make dinner.

"Jaclyn is the arch nemesis," Kate clarifies. "And the vic."

"Don't call her that," Addison groans. "It's not like I murdered her."

She pushes herself back out of the chair. "I'm going to go take a shower before dinner."

Kate takes her place, watching Castle move around the kitchen.

"How long should we ground her for?" he asks, turning on the oven.

She picks at the edge of a placemat. "I told her we wouldn't."

"Kate –"

"She was defending me. This Jaclyn girl was trying to tell her that her new mother is a whore. Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if some guy tried to say that to you."

"Why did she call you –"

"She was trying to tick off Addie. Sounds like she did her research, figured out my age and how old I was when I got pregnant, made some false assumptions about me being in this engagement just for the money."

Castle clucks his tongue. "I knew it. Gold digger."

She shoots him the look.

He laughs and moves to stand in front of her. "So what you're trying to say is that she's just feisty and fiercely protective like her mother?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, but how is she going to learn there are consequences for her actions?"

"She's an honors student who just got suspended. I'm pretty sure she's punishing herself enough right now."

He doesn't respond, instead pulling out the cutting board.

"When she comes home drunk or misses curfew or some other stupid teenage thing, we'll punish her. But over this –"

"No, no I agree with you. No one gets to call you that and get away with it. And this was a girl in her grade? Another 8th grader?"

Kate nods. "Apparently they compete against each other in dance and Addie wins every time."

Castle hums, cutting up the cilantro. "Alexis never had trouble with mean girls and I was beginning to think they only existed in a universe created by Tina Fey that stars Lindsay Lohan. Do you have any experience with them?"

She shakes her head. "No. I mean I think I might have been aware that it was happening, but no one in my circle was affected by it."

"It's kind of pathetic that she has to look up dirt on you, this thirty something homicide detective, just to upset the girl who's a better dancer than she is. Did you get a chance to talk to one of her parents?"

"Nope."

He adds the pasta to the water boiling on the stove, and slides the garlic bread into the oven. "I'm sure no one else actually thinks that you're –"

"Castle, I'm not taken aback by the insults of a 14-year-old girl."

"I was just –"

"I know."

He sets a timer for the bread and moves back over to stand by her, slips his hands into hers. She sighs, squeezing his hands.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to keep snapping at you today. I'm just overwhelmed with everything right now and it's making me really irritable," she apologizes.

"So take the night off," Castle suggests, moving around to stand behind her. He starts massaging her shoulders, kneading the knot out that always forms just below her neck. "I know we had planned to look at caterers tonight, but let's put off the wedding planning too. That's just more added stress you don't need right now."

She hums, her eyes slipping closed as she lets the sensation of Castle's hands take over. She nearly moans when he manages to get the knot out and skims his fingers down her arms.

"Maybe we should just go to bed early so I can use my whorish ways to screw my sugar daddy."

He slips his arms around her torso from behind, letting his head fall onto her shoulder.

"Right now," Castle whispers into her ear. "My will still has everything going to Alexis."

Kate scoffs, mocking disgust. "That's it, the wedding is off."

He laughs and she can feel the rumble of it against her shoulder. His fingers slip down and skim the top of her waistband.

"But I'm definitely not opposed to some extra screwing time," he grins against her ear.

"I don't know, babe. If I'm not going to inherit any of your fortune, then what's the point?"

Castle tilts her chip up, guiding her mouth toward his. "This is."

He kisses her, his hands scraping up through her hair, holding her in place. She nips at his lower lip, trying to get him to open his mouth to her. He starts to oblige, but then pulls apart when the sound of water sizzling on the stove startles him.

"Damn pasta," he mutters, rushing back over to the stove to turn the heat down.

Kate sighs, rubbing her thumb over her lower lip. "You know what we could really use? A date night."

"Amen to that," Castle says, pulling open the oven door to check on the bread. "Pick a night, any night, and I'll plan it."

"Sometime next week?"

"The sooner the better."

Kate pushes herself out of the chair to go uncork a bottle of wine.

"White or red?" she calls over her shoulder.

"Definitely red tonight. Go with the Merlot."

She gets two glasses down, hesitates, and then pulls a third one down for Martha. "Is your mother joining us tonight?"

"Should be."

She pours the wine and then brings one of the glasses over to Castle, setting it down beside him and then leaning her back against the counter.

"Have you ever Googled us?" she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.

Castle snorts. "No. Why?"

Kate shakes her head. "Just something Addison said."

"What, worried we're getting bad press? We're not Brangelina. And I'm really not that famous."

"Just wondering where this Jaclyn girl got her research is all."

"Oh she probably found some trashy, New York-based tabloid that has nothing better to cover than my love life," he laughs. "Not that my love life isn't oh so very exciting."

"Watch it," she smiles, elbowing him.

He keeps laughing as Addison comes back downstairs after her shower.

"What's so funny?" she asks.

"Nothing," Kate says, rolling her eyes. "Castle just thinks he's funnier than he actually is."

* * *

AN: I apologize for the massive delay on this. It's been a crazy couple of weeks.


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